This invention relates to a system and method for interactive, adaptive, and individualized computer-assisted instruction of students, preferably implemented on network connected computers. More particularly the system and method includes for each student an agent adapted to that student which monitors its student""s instructional behavior, responds to teacher direction, and controls the instructional progress, and guides its student, all of which constitute one aspect of a virtual tutor. Preferably, the viewable on-screen aspect of the agent includes customizable multimedia presentation personae, which constitute a further aspect of a virtual tutor.
The application of computers in education has been limited by several problems, including a failure to provide systems that adapt or individualize to each student, a failure to integrate systems effectively into the existing classroom in elementary and secondary schools, and a failure to exploit technological developments. Although during the last three decades, a number of interactive educational techniques have been implemented on computers, all these systems lack the ability to recognize and to adapt to each student""s individual characteristics. The common motivation for interactive educational techniques was the recognition that individual student interaction fosters learning to a greater degree than mere passive exposure to a fixed pace presentation (Kulik et al., 1986, Effectiveness of computer-based adult learning: a meta-analysis, Journal of educational computing research 2:235-252; Kulik et al., 1983, Effects of computer-based teaching on secondary school students, Journal of educational psychology 75:19-26). Existing, interactive educational techniques have many variants: programmed instruction, mastery learning, audio-tutorials, direct instruction, personalized system of instruction, precision teaching, fluency learning and others (Engleman et al., 1982, Theory of instruction: Principles and Applications, Irvington, New York; Keller, 1968, xe2x80x9cGoodbye, teacher . . . xe2x80x9d, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 1:79-89; Lindsley, 1990, Precision teaching: By teachers for children, Teaching Exceptional Children 22:353-359; West et al., 1992, Designs for Excellence in Education: the Legacy of B. F. Skinner, Sorris West, Inc., Longmont, Colo., pp. 147-160). Several systems have attempted to harness the interactivity of the computer for these interactive educational techniques. In early work, for example, text-based programmed instruction was converted to computer format and implemented on time-shared systems. This early development was extended with more sophisticated computer-assisted instruction (xe2x80x9cCAIxe2x80x9d), also known as compute based training (xe2x80x9cCBTxe2x80x9d).
In CAI, for example, the computer acts as a teaching machine. A program presents instructional displays, accepts student responses, edits and judges those responses, branches on the basis of student responses, gives feedback to the student, and records and stores the student""s progress. Examples of CAI systems include those of Carbonell, 1970, AI in CAI, an artificial intelligence approach to computer-assisted instruction, IEEE Transactions on Man-machine Systems, 11:190-202; Osin, 1984, CAI on a national scale, Proc. 4th Jerusalem Conf. on Information Technology, pp 418-424; Seidel 1971; Koffman et al., 1975, Artificial intelligence and artificial programming in CAI, Artificial Intelligence 6:215-234. Effective CAI instructional materials for a limited number of specific topics have been developed, as have special xe2x80x9cauthoring languages,xe2x80x9d which assist instructional developers on the tasks of designing instructional materials. U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,349 is exemplary of such CAI systems.
However, existing CAI systems do not adapt to their students. These systems merely sequence students through educational materials, based only on student performance during a current lesson and using only parameters such as recent responses and pre-requisite patterns. These systems do not gather or use information on more comprehensive student characteristics, such as past student performance, student performance on other courses, student learning styles, and student interests.
A greater deficiency is that existing CAI systems do not recognize characteristics of their individual students. They cannot be individualized or made responsive to their students styles. Thereby, these system ignore those roles of a human tutor that can be of unparalleled significance in the education of an individual. The human tutor assists in scheduling and prioritizing and in maintaining interest through proper reinforcement and knowledge of student abilities and preferences. A human tutor observes and addresses patterns of errors and maintains a consistent manner of interaction across a broad range of subject matters and activities. Moreover, a human tutor effectively integrates the cognitive, personal and social aspects of the instructional situation. In other words the human tutor provides a level of individualization based on student styles and on requirements of the instructional task. Furthermore, the human tutor provides an equally effective interaction with the teacher by accepting individualized instructions, collecting data and providing detailed reports. By failing to address these higher order services and roles of an effective human tutor, existing CAI systems fail to fully engage their students and thus fail instruct as well as possible.
Additionally, a further problem of computer assisted instruction, particularly in primary and secondary school settings is poor integration into the rest of the school curriculum and often poor quality of the educational materials. In application to elementary and secondary schools, two main patterns of instructional computer use prevail, which illustrate the compromises prevalent today. In one pattern, the integrated learning system (xe2x80x9cILSxe2x80x9d) is a dedicated installation that is used in schools to teach basic strands of reading, mathematics and related topics, spelling, writing, and other language arts, from grades one to six, or perhaps to eight or nine (EPIE, 1990, Integrated Instructional Systems: an Evaluation, Educational Products Information Exchange, Hampton Bays, N.Y.). The paradox with this pattern, regardless of the quality of the instruction offered by these systems, the work of students in ILSs bears little relation to what goes on in the classrooms in that very same topic. The fundamental reason is that the teacher cannot influence or respond meaningfully to variations in student progress or to relations between the CAI curriculum and the classroom text, materials and activities. This is the case even where the ILS installation produces reports in some detail as to each student""s progress and standing.
The second pattern of computer use in schools is that of stand-alone short units on specific topics (TESS, 1996, Database of Educational Software Systems, Educational Products Information Exchange, Hampton Bays, N.Y.). These can be hypercard programs, simulations, or games, and are usually separate from the basic classroom curriculum. Though occasionally of excellent quality, the paradox here is that these products are usually chosen for enhancement, possible optional, and do not account for a major component of school related instruction. No records are kept or returned regarding student performance. These programs have not made a major contribution to school instruction.
Finally, computer assisted instruction systems have ignored or under utilized such important developments in computer technology over the past four years as agent-based system, client-server systems, and networking systems. Though now an active field with a wide spectrum of activities from research to commercial applications, application of agent-based systems in educational, instructional, and homework tasks has not been explored. Software systems for intelligent agents have successfully applied in travel arrangements, email management, meeting scheduling, stock portfolio management, and gathering information from the Internet (Maes, 1994, Agents that reduce work and information overload, Communications of the ACM 37:30-40). In all these applications, software agents perform tasks on the user""s behalf, receiving only general instructions from their user but then executing detailed tasks with considerable independence and initiative. In client-server systems, these agents can operate in the client, the server, or both.
Recently, adaptive and personalized agent based systems have begun to be developed. Systems with adaptive agents, agents which learn from experience, has made gains with new techniques continually identified. Adaptive agents have permitted new commercially viable adaptive systems implemented across networks. In these systems, an agent is a xe2x80x9cgo-between,xe2x80x9d mediating relations in a manner whose function is understood with details being left to the agent itself. The agent acts as a xe2x80x9cstand-inxe2x80x9d for its user, who is thus freed from direct manipulation of the network. In instructional applications, there is an unmet need for an agent who serves two users: the school system and the individual student. This is the well-known role of the teaching assistant/tutor. Maes, 1994, and others have extended the metaphor of agent to that of personal assistant, an agent who learns some important characteristics of its user, and adapts its behavior accordingly. Agents can learn by a mixture of methods: observation, receiving feedback from its user, receiving instructions from the user, and consulting other agents concerning xe2x80x9csimilar problems.xe2x80x9d To combine the important properties of competence, trust, and intimacy that a personal assistant should have, an agent should be in touch with relevant data, represent important facts in a reliable manner, and engage with its user in a personal and fundamentally sympatheticxe2x80x94at times playfulxe2x80x94manner. Approaches to the creation of agents with personal characteristics have begun to be explored. In this work, relevant techniques are found in the tradition of film animators who, through the portrayal of emotions, gave their characters the illusion of life.
Moreover, computer assisted instructional systems have only haphazardly exploited the potential of client-server systems and networking technologies. Client-server architectures have emerged as the principal architecture of distributed computer systems. Client systems, running under sophisticated windowing operating systems, can support advanced object based software applications, including high speed graphics, animation and audio output. Servers can store gigabytes of data and programs at central or distributed locations at quite reasonable cost. Object oriented database systems have been developed to store structured data on servers.
Client systems, in a striking change from only several years ago, now virtually all have multimedia capabilities, including high quality graphics, sound, and at least limited video playback capability. Text-to-speech software is presently available for use with these systems, and speech recognition software is on brink of widespread commercial acceptability on low cost platforms. New authoring tools support graphical methods for generation of multimedia presentations and computer based instructional materials having corresponding sequencing logic.
Clients and servers can be linked remotely with increasing convenience and decreasing cost. The Internet has emerged as a means of providing an inexpensive means of connecting computers to provide effective communications and access to information and other resources such as software. Further Internet developments that made the Internet truly universal include the HTML and the HTTP protocols, which provide platform independent access to hyperlinked multimedia information, and the Java(trademark) programming language, which provides platform independent software for Internet applications programming. Subsets of the Internetxe2x80x94intranetsxe2x80x94have become an increasingly important means for disseminating information and enabling communication within constrained domains, such as a single school system or corporate enterprise.
Existing CAI systems have not addressed these functional deficiencies nor have they exploited the possibilities of existing technologies.
Citation of references hereinabove shall not be construed as an admission that such a reference is prior art to the present invention.
The Agent Based Instruction (xe2x80x9cABIxe2x80x9d) system of this invention is a system and method for interactive, adaptive, and individualized computer-assisted instruction and homework, preferably implemented on network connected computers, that overcomes these problems by providing the following objects in preferred and alternative embodiments. This invention provides a more effective system responsive to the needs of several parties interested in education.
An important object of this invention is to provide the student with a virtual tutor, by having agent software (xe2x80x9cagentxe2x80x9d) adapted to each student that offers a high quality of individualized student interaction and that manages or controls instruction in a manner approximating a real tutor. The agent exercises management or control over the computer-assisted instruction materials and provides information and help to the student, both synchronously and asynchronously to particular instructional materials. Agent behaviors are sensitive to both the educational context and to the history of student behavior.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention the agent integrates data from several sources. From computer-assisted instructional materials, it accepts data on the methods of instruction adopted by particular materials and on student performance in the instruction. From the student, it accepts direct interactions as well as using the history of previous student performance stored in a student data object. From the teacher, it accepts data on customization and student assignments. From the school, it accepts data on assigned courses, data on analysis of student body performance, and educational standards and criteria. In a preferred embodiment, these inputs allow individualization of agent interaction. Alternative embodiments are responsive to additional data types and sources.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, diverse agent behaviors are handled uniformly by a single means. The diverse behaviors include encouragement and feedback, providing meta-cognitive help on ongoing instruction, managing or controlling and individualizing computer based instruction to the student""s learning modes, and assistance with assignment management. These diverse behaviors are selected from a set of potentially appropriate candidate behaviors. This set of candidate behaviors is ordered and the highest ranked behaviors are chosen.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention the diverse in agent behaviors adapt to the student based on a variety of information about the student. The agent modifies its behavior on the basis of a growing history of interactions with the student over time, as this history of student performance is stored in the student data object. The agent can also modify its behavior on the basis of teacher and school system supplied information.
Further, in this preferred embodiment, the student data object resides on portable media in the physical control of the student. This is advantageous because the student data object accumulates data personal to the student, and its privacy can be ensured by such student control. Alternatively, the student data object can be stored on central server computers in secure databases when this is advantageous to ensure student data privacy.
Another important object of this invention is that the agent presents itself on-screen to the student with integrated, and optionally, animated multimedia persona, or preferably a plurality of persona (hereinafter called xe2x80x9cpersonaexe2x80x9d). The on-screen agent can appear as living entities, which in grade school can be comfortable xe2x80x9cstudy Buddies(trademark)xe2x80x9d and in adult training can be appear as an objective xe2x80x9cConcept Coachxe2x80x9d. The on-screen agent instructs, motivates, engages and guides its student.
In a preferred embodiment, the on-screen agent can be dramatized by a single character or by a cast of interacting characters. The interaction between these actors can be individualized to reflect the pedagogical response of the agent. To maintain student interest in the agent response, story lines continuing across materials or session can be used.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention the voices, gestures and motions of the personae are derived from the chosen behaviors, student personae preferences, and the history of recent behavior by selection from tables containing a rich variety of alternative sound and visual display objects. All elements of the on-screen agent display are then synthesized in an integrated display script calling for graphics, animation, video, or sound as appropriate. These scripts are then bundled into applets, run-time program fragments that represent a complete element of performance. This display is highly configurable by the student, the teacher, or the system administrator.
It is an advantage of this invention that elements of the display objects can be created by artists, animators, singers, and so forth, as data snips. Pluralities of data snips can be stored in libraries of dynamic clip art and then installed in an implementation of this invention. In this manner the on-screen agent personae have an appropriately contemporary, realistic, and engaging manner. Data snips are, in general, short clips of sound, voice, graphics, animation or video, or combinations of these used to construct the on-screen agent. A data snip can also be a complete pre-formatted animated sequence, perhaps in the format of a talking animated daily cartoon strip.
Another important object of this invention is that the interactive, adaptive, and self-paced computer-assisted instruction and homework provided by this invention is available to geographically dispersed students and from geographically dispersed schools or education providers. Accordingly, the system of this invention is adapted to both the student data object stored on portable media and to the access of other important data across a variety of networks. For example, an implementation of this invention as a xe2x80x9cHomework Network(trademark)xe2x80x9d can make computer assisted homework available to students of all levels at home. In addition to computers located at residences of students, the student can also access homework materials at computers located in youth centers, libraries, schools and other locations. A student only has to access a networked computer and xe2x80x9cplug inxe2x80x9d the portable student data object to receive instruction. Alternatively, the student can access the student data object across such a network.
In a preferred embodiment, the network on which this invention is implemented as an intranet configured of appropriate links and utilizing the known TCP/IP protocol suite, and as appropriate, ATM technologies, including World Wide Web, associated browsers, and mail format extensions. Implementation over the public Internet is equally preferred in cases where extensive connectivity is needed.
A further important object of this invention is to utilize augmented computer-assisted instruction materials which present to students a variety of interactive, adaptive, and self-paced computer-assisted instruction and homework materials in a manner which informs the agent of a student""s progress and performance and which permits the agent to manage or control the materials to the student""s pedagogic characteristics. Thereby, the ABI system can effectively guide and engage students in their educational tasks.
In a preferred embodiment, these instructional and homework materials are composed of materials data presented by a materials engine. The materials data includes display objects containing the substance of the instruction, logic to sequence the display according to student input, and notations. Notations are augmented definitions that serve to pass information to the agent concerning the materials and the student. For example, notations classify key sections of materials which are educationally significant student actions. Preferably, authoring tools assist in developing these augmented instructional materials. Materials tasks and sequences are created and entered by instructional designers and subject experts. Notations are usually entered by instructional designers and can be customized by teachers.
In a preferred embodiment, the information passed in the notations is standardized according to an instruction materials interface standard. This standard establishes a uniform way the materials independent data relating to student performance are to be provided to the agent and a uniform way for the agent to guide the student in a materials independent manner.
A further important object of this invention is to provide to the student a range of tools which are integrated with the agent in a manner similar to the instructional materials. These tools include general tools helpful to assigned instructional tasks, and special tools for group work and communication and for student scheduling.
In a preferred embodiment, the general tools include at least a calculator, an encyclopedia, a dictionary, a thesaurus, each appropriate to the several levels of students, which can access an ABI implementation. In a preferred embodiment, the group work and communication materials allow, when permitted, message exchange, student linking into groups for joint work, and student linking into groups for structured work such as contests. In a preferred embodiment the student scheduling tool records assigned student activities and their priorities. In an embodiment, this tool can be consulted by the student to view schedules. It can be consulted by the system to prescriptively schedule required activities, to permit student choice, or to permit a mixed scheduling initiative. Finally, it can be consulted by the agent to offer scheduling advice to the student. Typically, student assignments are set by a teacher.
An object of this invention is reporting of student performance to students, teachers, parents, administration, or to other appropriate individuals in a business enterprise or other commercial versions. These reports include the unique data on the student""s pedagogic performance accumulated and analyzed by the agent, as well as all the usual and expected performance data on specific materials available in existing computer-assisted instruction systems. In a preferred embodiment, data for such reports, called herein school-student data, is forwarded by the agent pursuant to school policies to school server computers from the students"" local computer. On the server computers, it is stored in server databases against which are run such reports. Alternatively, this data can be forwarded to existing student information systems present at the school. In a further alternative embodiment wherein the student data objects are centrally stored, this data can be derived from these objects, which can be stored in an object oriented database system. It is an advantage of this invention in a school context that parents can have access to current data on their children, and thereby play a more informed role in their children""s education.
Another object of the invention is to utilize current technologies for student interaction. When available, this invention is adaptable to Network Computers (xe2x80x9cNCxe2x80x9d). NCs are low cost computers specifically designed to access intranets or the public Internet. In a current preferred embodiment and implementation, this invention is adaptable to multimedia PCs for some students, and to such special interaction technologies as can be advantageous to special students or students with special needs. Typical interactive devices include keyboards, mice or other pointing devices, voice recognition, joy-sticks, touch activated devices, light-pens, and so forth. Other devices, such as virtual reality devices, can be added as they become commercialized.
It is clear to those of skill in the art that by providing interactive, adaptive, and self-paced computer-assisted instruction and homework delivered over widely available computer networks this invention has immediate application in public, private, and commercial school environment of all levels. Educational research shows that instruction and homework of these characteristics improves students"" educational outcomes. Further, in school contexts this invention advantageously provides immediate access to student performance and pedagogic characteristics to all interested parties, including parents.